


I'll Be Your Lifeline

by FandomsUnite17



Category: Original Work
Genre: Discrimination, Fatal Illness, Gen, Gore, Illness, Kleins being eaten and killed, Kleins bodies can't be digested, Soft Vore, TJ is the human and Joseph is the klein, Voilence, Vore, a soulmark is a birthmark in the shape of the first place your soulmate touches you, a soulquote is a birthmark that is the first words you hear your soulmate say, and when it becomes active it turns rainbow and glows faintly, people being sold to be eaten, platonic soulmate, safe vore, the tiny people are called Winzig Kleins but most people just call them Kleins, the two main characters are Totem "TJ" and Joseph, vore story, your person is another word for your soulmate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:15:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28085313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomsUnite17/pseuds/FandomsUnite17
Summary: Joseph Featherwing, a one-and-a-half-inch tall humanoid creature called a Winzig Klein, has just discovered that he has a deadly, incurable disease, and runs from his family in the middle of the night so as not to pass it onto them. He thought that the disease, an illness called Thermal-Paralysis, would be what killed him. After collapsing and going unconscious in a human's front yard, he expected to never wake up again, so he was surprised when he did exactly that, and found himself inside of a human's mouth, living out his worst nightmare.Totem Greyson has always taken after his mother, who is a Kleins Rights Activist. He firmly believes that kleins are just as valuable as people as humans, despite their size. So when he found a klein collapsed and as cold as ice in his front yard he had to help him. After a very long and stressful few hours, the young boy finally woke up.Later that day him and the boy discovered two things. One, the two of them were soulmates. Two, there was in fact a cure for Thermal-Paralysis, but it wasn't exactly pleasant.P.S. Please let me know if there are any tags I missed!
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

He pressed the tiny person against the roof of his mouth, pushing up and down its body carefully. His body — it was a boy.  
Gah, this is stupid. What was I thinking?! Come on little guy, just wake up already!  
He'd found the tiny person just forty minutes ago curled up under a bush in his front yard, unconscious. Of course, when he found him turned blue, unmoving, completely limp, he probably should have assumed that he was already gone. He still wasn't sure exactly why he'd decided to help the boy anyway. Maybe it was just because he looked so young — he had to be at least as young as fourteen or thirteen, maybe younger. Or maybe he was just gullible and stupid and thought the boy looked young! But here he was anyway, trying to revive a one-and-a-half-inch child by holding him in his mouth.  
The tiny boy had been ice cold when he found him, which was really odd, given that it was the middle of summer and scorching hot out. But the kid had still been breathing, so he wasn't dead. But then came the question of why he was cold in the first place.  
He'd tried for nearly forty minutes to warm him up, but not a single thing he tried made any difference. He’d even tried holding him inside the running oven and rubbing him — maybe the friction would help. But nothing did. He was about to give up and just leave him in front of a heater or something when he'd had this idea. Nothing else seemed to be working, he'd thought, so why not? If it didn't work, nothing else did either, so he had nothing to lose. So he'd held the little guy in the oven just a moment longer, then carefully set him on his tongue and closed his mouth.  
So, that brings us here.  
Come on, little klein, what's wrong with you?!  
The child felt like a piece of ice in his mouth, but the problem was, he still wasn't warming up at all! He started rubbing the kid harder, faster, determined now to keep this boy alive. He kept going and going like that, ten minutes more, twenty minutes, twenty-five, thirty… Finally, he stopped. Did that do anything?  
Please tell me that worked…  
The klein boy wasn't moving, and he was still cold, but now he just felt windblown cold, like he'd stayed outside too late at night, but not like he'd just walked out of a freezer, so that was something! It was working then! Very, very slowly, but it was. Sitting down in his living room, he clicked the TV on and kept going — this was going to take a while.  
It was almost two hours before anything happened. He was halfway through a movie when he felt something shift on its own. He froze immediately and paused the movie. Was that what he thought it was? After a few minutes, he felt it again. It was! The klein! He was moving! But would it be safe to take the boy out of his mouth now, or would he get cold again? Before he could decide on anything, the boy woke up. He could feel the kid scrambling like a madman, pounding his fists on his tongue and coughing and gagging. Immediately he reached into his mouth and pulled out the tiny boy, setting him, soaked in saliva, into his open palm. "You're alive!" The klein boy stared up at him, eyes wide with terror, chest heaving rapidly. "Okay, okay… You're okay, you're safe now. I promise."  
"Safe?! How can you say that?!"  
"Because I saved you!"  
"Yeah, right."  
"I did! And it took more than three hours!" The boy flinched back at his shout. "Oh, no, no! I-I'm sorry… Hey… I promise I'm not gonna hurt you." Slowly, the boy looked back up and stared, disbelief plastered across his face. Then a glob of saliva rolled down his face and he closed his eyes and wiped it away. "Sorry…"  
"F-For what? Wh-What is this?"  
"Uh… H-Hey, are you cold?" The tiny boy had his knees tucked against him, and he was shivering.  
"How did you know? Wait… wait, wait, wait! Wh-What did you do to me? I was a goner! You cured me! How did you do it?!"  
"I don't think you really wanna know…"  
"I don't care, you have to tell me!"  
"But what exactly did I cure?"  
The klein boy sighed. "It's a type of cancer called Thermal-Paralysis that resides on an atomic level… Now tell me how you cured it! No one's ever been able to find a cure for this! This thing has killed thousands of us every year!"  
"Oh, no, please don't tell me it's contagious!"  
"Lethally so, to us winzig kleins. Humans can't get it, though… why?"  
"Ah, thank god!"  
The klein stared up at him, both confused and frightened at the same time. "What did you do to me...?"  
He stared back awkwardly. "I really don't think you'd wanna know…" His face was starting to get hot.  
"Come on, please, whatever you did could save thousands of us!"  
"I really don't think it could be a mass-cure…"  
"Just tell me how you did it!"  
"I PUT YOU IN MY MOUTH AND RUBBED YOU WITH MY TONGUE FOR THREE AND A HALF HOURS, ARE YOU HAPPY?!" The room went dead quiet. The tiny boy stared at his face, terrified, and he hung his head and covered his face with his free hand. He could feel his whole head going hot. "I tried… everything I could think of! But nothing was working! Hell, I turned the oven on to 150 and left you in it, and still nothing! I don't know what I was thinking, I just… I was desperate! I guess I thought… enough friction and some physical contact? I don't know!"  
"So you put me in an oven and that didn't work, so your next thought was to put me in your mouth?!"  
"Well you're alive, aren't you?!" The boy silenced immediately. "Look, I… I'm really sorry, okay? I don't know what came over me, but I just really, really didn't want you to… ya know, kick the bucket. And I still don’t know why I was so determined! I mean, I try to be nice to all kleins, and of course if I saw anyone in trouble I’d want to help, but… Usually I wouldn’t be that desperate for that long." After a silent pause, he looked down worriedly. "You look really, really cold…"  
"You j-just now noticed that?!"  
"Alright, alright, just gimme a minute." He stood up and went to the kitchen with the boy, where he opened the oven wide, turned it on, and left.  
"Where are you going now?"  
"Just a sec." He pulled a bin out from under a shelving unit and began digging through it. Finally, he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the tiny clothes and went back to the kitchen, where he sat down in front of the oven door and set the boy down on it gently. "This is what I was looking for." Smiling, he set the tiny clothing down next to the boy.  
"That's… a doll shirt."  
"Yeah? My sister Indigo handmakes doll clothes, she sends me samples sometimes. That sweater's from her last winter set — it's double-lined. The cloak isn't, but… I know it's humiliating, but I figured it's better than nothing, right? I mean, you don't have to wear it if you don't want to, I just wanted to offer at least, since it'd be warm…"  
"Fine." He grabbed them. "I'll take 'em both." He slipped the tiny sweater on, tucked the cloak around his shoulders, and tucked his knees against himself again.  
"Just wait here, I'll be back." Then he got up and left, leaving the klein boy alone.  
As soon as the man was gone, the boy let himself cry. So that… that dark, wet place he woke up in… two hours?! He was in a human's mouth for two hours?! And he was still alive?! The better question is how is he still alive at all? He has Thermal-Paralysis! This is… probably the longest anyone's ever survived this… And it might just be only as long as he survives, too. This was it, this was how he dies. Shuddering, he wrapped the cloak tighter around himself and glanced back.  
Oven. Warm.  
He got up and walked shakily across the oven door, settling himself at the gaping front of the oven. The heat felt so good, so soft, welcoming, but then… why did he still feel so agonizingly cold? And so weak all of a sudden? He felt his head starting to drop. No, no, he had to stay awake, he had to fight this. If he went out now, that'd be the end of him! No one would ever know… about the cure… He opened his mouth and tried to scream. "It's friction! And… and physical contact…"  
He opened his eyes. What the… It was nearly pitch black! Something was pushing violently against him, up and down his body rapidly. Something very strong, and very warm, and… wet… Wait… Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no! This was not happening! He tried to move, to do anything, but he found himself paralyzed with fear. He could barely breathe. No, no, no, no!  
Okay, breathe. Breathe. Just breathe, already!  
He tried to, he tried to breathe normally, or even at all, but on top of the fact that he was petrified the air was musty. He started crying — he couldn't stop himself. He tried to tuck his knees to his chest, but the giant tongue forced them flat again. Miserably he let out a sob.  
Just make it stop, make it stop!  
Finally, it did. The powerful muscle stopped, and he lay limply on it, sobbing. He sobbed until he was afraid it would start again, then he decided to take action. He lifted one foot, then kicked it down and waited. Nothing happened. So he picked up both feet this time and kicked them down as hard as he could. Suddenly a deafening pulse surged through the back of the mouth and he whimpered and covered his ears, tucking his legs under him. Was that the guy gulping?! And just like that he was surrounded by light and lifted into the air. Feeling something soft beneath him, he clung to it desperately, every bit of him shaking violently with sobs.  
"Oh, no… no, no, how long have you been awake?!" The boy whimpered miserably in response. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were awake, I swear!" He reached a hand towards the boy, then pulled it back, then changed his mind again and carefully picked him up and set him on the table in front of him. Scooting his chair back a bit, he stared at the boy nervously. "Hey… are… are you okay…?"  
"AM I OKAY?! WHAT DO YOU THINK?!"  
"Whoa, okay, um… oh, oh, here!" He set the tiny sweater and cloak down beside him. "I saved them for you, so you'd have something… dry… Hey, can you just… tell me what I can do for you?"  
The boy shook his head, still shaking. "JUST MAKE IT STOP!"  
"Okay, okay, you're gonna be okay… I'm not gonna let you get hurt. Do you hear me…? Listen, can you just tell me what exactly hurts?"  
"Nothing! I mean, I don't- I don't know! It just-"  
"I get it, you're stressed, that's alright. But what can I do to help you?"  
"I don't know!"  
"Okay, that's okay. Just… deep breaths, can you do that? Just try to calm down…" He had no idea what he was doing, but man was he trying!  
"Calm down?! Do you have any idea what's been going through my head?!"  
"No. No, I don't, and I won't pretend I do. I have no clue what's been going on in your head. But I can tell it's too much for you. I mean, sorry, that sounded rude. I just mean you don't have to be alone, you're going through a lot right now…"  
The boy looked up, closed his eyes, and let out another sob. "Just… I wanna be alone, okay?! Just leave me alone!"  
"Okay. If that's what you want, I'll go. I'll be just in the other room, alright?" Then he got up and left the room, grabbing a book and sitting just on the other side of the doorway. About half an hour later he went back in to check on the boy and immediately ran to the table. "No, no, no, come on! Come on, no, not again!" He carefully reached out a finger and touched him — ice-cold, again. "No, no, this can't work! Come on, buddy, please!" He sighed, then gently picked up the unconscious boy and removed the sweater and cloak before setting him once again in his mouth.  
Nearly an hour later, he was still trying to wake him up again, and it was getting pretty late. He was really starting to get worried. This boy couldn't last hardly any time at all on his own without passing out. Clearly he couldn't leave him alone. But he had a job! And even if he ignored that, how would he sleep? He'd have to sleep at some point, but the kid would pass out before he could even count it a nap. But he couldn't just let the kid die, so what? What was he supposed to do?! If he just put him in his mouth, the kid would fall out while he was asleep! Unless… No, no way. That was insane. But if animals couldn't digest their bodies, maybe humans couldn't either… Hold on, there was no way he was actually considering this! But he couldn't let the kid just die! Moaning around the tiny klein, he tipped his head back. No, he can't do this. He looked back down, then took a deep breath in through his nose. Okay. He had to do this. He had to. He went into the kitchen, filled a glass at the sink… and found his gaze glued to the water.  
You can do this. Just… swallow the kid!  
He took a few more deep breaths and tipped his head back again, letting the boy's feet rest against the back of his throat. Setting the cup down, he pushed the boy down with his tongue.  
Okay, you can do this. You can do this! Alright… three… two… one!  
He gulped. Three times and he'd gotten the boy's legs in, but he was stuck at his hip. He kept trying. He pushed the kid down with his tongue, pushed hard, and finally got past it. His throat burned at this point, but there was no way he could stop now. So he kept going. The body crept millimeter by millimeter down his throat, until finally, he hit another hurdle — the boy's shoulders. After three hard, unsuccessful gulps, he finally gave in. He felt around the countertop for his cup, then, finding his grip on it, he tipped it back and managed to get half of it down his front. But the lubricant of what he did manage to swallow was just enough to let him force the rest of the boy down. Well, almost.  
Oh, no. No! No!  
The boy was caught halfway down. He pounded his fists on the countertop, eyes watering.  
Okay, water. Water.  
He fumbled for his cup, filled it at the sink, and downed it, finally able to finish forcing the boy down. Gasping for air, he sunk into a stool beside the counter. His throat burned! He rubbed it a few times, then rested his head in his hands and tried to wrap his head around the whole day. He couldn't.  
Why… why did I just do that?!  
Sighing, he took a deep breath and tried to sit still. What if humans could digest them?! What if he couldn't breathe? What if he'd swallowed him wrong and dislocated something?! He started bouncing one leg as the what-ifs got worse and worse, and pressed a hand gently against his stomach… No, he couldn't do this. Too many things could go too wrong, could have already gone wrong! This had to stop! He had to get him out! But… how…?  
Shit.  
He hadn't even thought of that?! What was wrong with him?! What was he gonna do?! Okay, he needed to calm down. He could handle this.  
Just breathe, TJ! You were anorexic for Pete’s sake, just throw the kid back up!  
He took a deep breath and stood. Grabbing the edge of the sink, he bent over it. Wow, that felt wrong. It had been more than two years since he'd forced himself to throw up last. He had to remember exactly how to do it. If he remembered correctly, there was a specific spot that always worked for him… He stuck two fingers into his throat and started feeling around, trying desperately to stop shaking.  
Come on, you used to do this all the time, it's gotta be here somewhere!  
He kept feeling around until he hit a spot that made him gag so violently his stomach lurched.  
Ha! There you are!  
He pressed hard on the spot and twisted his fingers, and his stomach did a familiar-yet-unfamiliar kind of backflip. He twisted harder and forced himself to gag up some of his last meal. But no person yet, so it wasn't enough. So he stuck two fingers back into his throat and felt around until he found the spot again. It only took a few minutes this time to make himself throw up, but it still wasn't enough. He could feel it was working, but the kid wasn't out yet. But now that the kid was wedged back into his throat it was almost easy. It took three more forced heaves, and finally, he was able to grab the boy by his ankles and pull him out.  
He almost dropped him.  
His soulmark! That's what that is! His soulmark covers his entire body!  
He'd thought the boy's skin was just grey - maybe it was part of his Thermal-Paralysis - but it was his soulmark! His soulmark covered his entire body! And it was active! The boy's entire body was glowing rainbow. Wait a second… He rushed over to the fridge and stuck out his tongue. The top of it reflected back rainbow, in the perfect shape of a miniature person — of a klein. His heart raced as he shot his gaze to the birthmark on his forearm. It read, "Safe?! How can you say that?!" Suddenly, he grinned, looking down at the slimy, glowing boy in his hands. This was it. This boy was his person! He found his person! Without even trying! And his person was a klein of all things! Wait… no, wait. His person was a klein! No! No one could ever know about this! What would people think?! Forget that, he knew exactly what they'd think! They'd think he's a retarded lunatic and probably just straight-up broken, that's what people would think! He took a deep breath. This was simultaneously the best and worst thing that's ever happened to him! How was he even supposed to react to this? Oh, no. How was the boy going to react to this?!  
Probably a lot better if he wasn't covered in bodily fluids.  
He moved the klein boy to one hand and with the other got a wet paper towel and a dry one and cleaned him off as best he could. The boy flinched at the cold towel. As he threw out the paper towels the boy moaned and started squirming.  
He's waking up?! Now?! Okay, this is fine, he was gonna wake up soon anyway…  
He sat down at the table and set the boy on it gently. "Are… are you okay?"  
The boy blinked his eyes open, noticed his skin, and screamed. "What?! Wh-What's going on?! What's wrong with me?!"  
"What? No, nothing's wrong with you! Nothing at all, that's your soulmark!"  
"Soulmark…? You don't mean..."  
He nodded. "Your soulmark covers your entire body!"  
"My… I have a soulmark?"  
"Of course you do, everyone does!"  
The boy laughed. "I have a soulmark!"  
"Oh, but before you get too excited, there's something I need to tell you…"  
"What…?"  
He stuck out his tongue. "I was wearing gloves when I found you, so the first time I actually touched you…"  
"No, no, wait… you're not saying we're…"  
He nodded. "We're soulmates. I'm your person."


	2. Chapter Two

"No. No, no, no, no! I… I have a person! A-And - and he's a human! Has this even ever happened before?!"  
"That's… that's actually a really good question. Hey, I have a question for you actually. Do you have a birthmark? You know, a quote?"  
"Yeah? Why?"  
"I was just wondering, it looked like you thought you didn't have a person at all..."  
"Well, I didn't necessarily think I didn't have one, I just wasn't really sure if I did…"  
"Oh. Well I guess that makes sense. So, about the soulmate thing…"  
"Please, you can't tell anyone, please! If people knew…"  
"No, that's exactly what I was gonna ask - if we can just keep this between us two?"  
"Oh, thank goodness…" The boy looked down at the birthmark on his arm. It read, "You're alive!" "How often will you have to do that…?"  
"Hm? Do what?" The boy pointed to his mouth. "Oh. That… A-Actually, I have something to talk to you about. About - about that."  
"I-I don't like the sound of this…"  
"You shouldn't… See, not only do I have work, but on top of that, even if I stayed up as long as I could, eventually I would pass out from exhaustion, but every time I leave you alone you end up passing out, so I can't sleep without you passing out, but I can't keep myself up forever… So, if… if the only thing that's keeping you alive is… gross as it is, you being… inside me, then… the only way to keep you alive is… is to keep you further down than just my mouth, at least overnight…"  
The boy sat for a moment, letting the words sink in, then in an instant, he broke down. He started shaking visibly with sobs and started walking backwards across the table, as far away from the human as he could. "No! No, no, you can't! Oh no, oh god, no, I can't - I can't die here!"  
"No, no, it's completely safe! I promise!"  
"How could you know that for sure?! Wait… wait, no… u-unless…"  
"I'm… I'm so sorry…"  
The boy burst into violent sobs. "Oh, god, you've already done it once! Haven't you?!"  
"I'm so sorry. I just wanted to make sure it was safe!"  
"Oh, please God! I can't do this!"  
"I'm so sorry… I just… I don't know what I'm doing. I mean, it's not like I have experience with this kinda thing! I'm just trying to work with what I know, and I have no idea what's going on! I'm really sorry, I mean it… I just don't know what else to do!"  
"Anything! Leaving me for dead maybe?! There's an option!"  
"I'm not leaving you to die. Listen, why don't we just change the subject? Alright?"  
The boy took a few deep, shaky gasps and nodded, sniffling, trying to stop his shaking. "What - Wha' should we talk - talk about, then?"  
"Well… if we're soulmates now, maybe we should get to know each other better? Hm, where should we start…?"  
"Names?"  
He shook his head. "Geez, all this, and I didn't even tell you my name yet?" The boy shook his head in answer. "Well sorry about that, then. You can call me TJ."  
The boy sniffled angrily. "That's all I get? A nickname?"  
"Alright, fine! I just don't like my name much, but if you gotta know, it's Totem. Totem Greyson."  
The boy forced a smile. "Joseph. Featherwing."  
"Well, I'm glad I got your name, Joseph. Uh, how are you feeling?"  
"Kinda cold?"  
"What, already?!"  
"I am wet!"  
"Oh, crap! Sorry, I didn't even think about that! I was trying to clean you off a bit before you woke up, but I musta left the water on cold… Wow, that sounded awful… Look, look, let me go grab that sweater and stuff for you. I'll be right back, just… please don't pass out while I'm gone…"  
"Yeah, I'll just stop that!" he screamed after him.  
He was back in two blinks of the eye and set down the tiny clothing beside Joseph. "Got em."  
Joseph smiled gratefully and slipped them both on, then stared down at himself, at his now glowing, rainbow skin. "The little strawberry patch… behind that park off main."  
"What?"  
"That's where I live. Or lived. Until… until I got Thermal-Paralysis. And I never even told them…"  
"Who? Told them what?"  
"My family… I have a younger brother I left behind… His name's Kinwei. But I knew before anyone else, so I ran, but I was so scared they'd catch it from me I didn't even tell them I was leaving…"  
"Well do they still live there? I can take you to go talk to them!"  
"No, no way! Just because I'm not dead yet doesn't mean I'm not contagious!"  
"First, zip it with that yet talk. I'm not gonna let this stupid sickness be what kills you. But, you have a point… I just wish there was something I could do… Hold on, hold on! You could just write ‘em a letter! And I'll bring it to them so there's no risk, so they know you're alright! Well, alive…"  
The boy smiled. "Later. Later, that would be… awesome. Okay, that's enough about me. I had to talk, it's your turn."  
"Alright, alright, let's see… What do you even wanna know?"  
He shrugged. "I don't know. What do you do for work?"  
"Believe it or not, I'm a radio announcer."  
"A… a radio announcer? Oh, so that's why you mentioned your job — you have to be able to talk…"  
"Yeah… I can't exactly be a silent radio announcer…"  
For a while, neither of them spoke. Then Joseph took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I have a question…"  
"Yeah? Hit me with it."  
He took another deep breath. "How did you…?"  
"How did I what?"  
"How… I mean, when you - when you - when… Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about!"  
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Wha'd you wanna ask?"  
"Well, how… how did you… I mean-" He sighed. "How did you… you know, get me… back out?"  
"Oh." Totem looked down. He couldn't not tell him. This kid deserved the whole story. He was asking the kid to trust him, so it was his turn to pay back the favor… "Well, I… I don't tell many people this, but… I mean, it's… it's embarrassing to talk about, but… I used to be anorexic. So…"  
"Wait. You were… anorexic?"  
"Yes, I was. Please don't get into the whole speel. I don't know why I did it, I don't remember when it started or how, and it has absolutely nothing to do with how I was raised, I don't-"  
"No, I get it! It's not a choice, it's an illness. I just… I really like that you beat it. I had a cousin who… She had anorexia too, but she couldn't… she couldn't beat it."  
"I'm so sorry… Were you two close?"  
He shook his head. "Not really. But it's different when you lose someone to a mental illness rather than a physical one."  
"I never really thought about that…"  
After a long, silent moment, Joseph spoke up nervously. "S-Sir?"  
"Oh, please, none of that, that's awful. Just call me TJ, or at least Totem, that's fine too."  
"Oh, okay… Um, TJ?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you have…?" He trailed off, head hung.  
"What? Whatever it is, you can probably have it, as long as I actually have it."  
"No, I…" He trailed off again, and Totem noticed that he had his arms pressed over his stomach.  
"Are you nauseous? I think I have some Sprite around here somewhere…"  
"No, it's not that…"  
"Then…"  
Joseph hesitated. "I'm hungry," he finally mumbled, barely above a whisper.  
"Uh, sorry?"  
"I'm hungry…"  
"Oh, well that's easy. Come on, let's find you something." He held his hand up to the table, but the boy remained frozen to the spot. "Oh, that's fine. I'll just grab something." He turned to the kitchen, which was connected to the small dining room. "Uh… what do you even like?"  
"I'm not picky…"  
"Uh, alright… I don't really have anything exciting… Uh, mixed nuts? Wow, that was… really pathetic. Uh, I could make something, what kinda stuff do you like?"  
"No, no, nuts are great! It's protein." Glancing over, he saw the tiny boy staring intently at him through the doorway, subconsciously licking his lips, trying not to grin at the prospect of food.  
"Oh, alright." He brought the container over to the table, where he removed the lid and sprinkled a handful onto it, sliding it over to the boy. "Oh, damn…"  
"Wh-What?"  
"Nothing, I just… I was gonna grab you something to drink, but… I can't think of anything to… to put anything in…"  
"Oh… Well, later?"  
He smiled. "Yeah, I'll think of something. Sorry…"  
Joseph mumbled something back, then grabbed a cashew and dug into it ravenously. Totem blinked and stared, bewildered. He acted like he was starving! Then again, if he'd run away from home... "How… how long has it been since you've eaten last?"  
Joseph finished his bite, then answered slowly. "Not since… not since I left home…"  
"And that was…?"  
He hesitated. "Day before yesterday?"


	3. Chapter Three

"So you haven't eaten in two days?!" He shrugged and continued eating. "Where have you even been all that time?"  
"Wandering… trying to stay away from other kleins…"  
"Just… wandering the streets?"  
"I guess."  
Totem shook his head slowly, then jumped out of his chair. "I got an idea! Don't pass out for a minute!" He rushed out of the room, then returned a few minutes later only to rush right into the kitchen carrying something small. Then he started gathering ingredients from various cupboards. Joseph was curious, but not more than he was hungry, so he decided to ignore him and just focus on the cashew. A few minutes later he came back to the table and sat down beside him, then set down a flowery, ceramic mug about twice the size of his hand. He paused eating to look over at it. It's contents were causing wisps of steam to curl above it. And it smelled like… He took in a big breath and finally smiled. Chocolate. It smelled like chocolate. "I know the mug's still kinda huge, but…"  
"Is this… you made… hot chocolate?"  
"Yeah, it might taste a little funny. It's a recipe I'm working on, but there's still a few tweaks to work out."  
Smiling, Joseph dipped a finger into it to test the temperature, then carefully took a sip. "It's amazing."  
"Yeah? No complaints? At all…?"  
"If you wanna know, it is a little… thick."  
Totem nodded seriously. "Is it too rich? Or too weak?"  
"Uh… not really? I-I don't know…"  
"Right, sorry. I get… a little overexcited about baking stuff sometimes." Joseph nodded, mouth full again. "Sorry, I'll stop bothering you. Can I stay in here to make sure… I mean, so I can… wake you up again if you pass out again?" Slowly, Joseph nodded. "Thank you." He stared at the boy, letting himself sink into his thoughts.  
Joseph was vaguely aware of the man staring at him as he snarfed down a peanut half. The man waited patiently while he ate, pulling out his phone to scroll mindlessly after a while. Joseph couldn't help but smile again. It was almost… almost sweet how the guy was so worried about him. But he couldn't help but wonder why… Why did he care? When most humans would have seen him unconscious and kicked him under that bush further, why… why did he want to help? And why had he tried so hard to revive him? What was he gaining from this? Why was he still trying so hard now? He thought and thought about this miserably while he ate and drank, and finally, when he was so full he was almost miserable, he turned away from the human and kept pondering the man's intentions. Finally, he turned back around and spoke up. "Sir? Um, TJ? Sorry."  
"Hm?" Totem looked up from his phone screen. "What's up?"  
"Uh…" He awkwardly glanced around the room, playing with his fingers absently. "I gotta… uh, I gotta go. Like, go."  
"Oh! Uh, okay." He held out a hand and let the boy crawl back on in his own time before getting up and heading for the back door. He wouldn't be offended that he was bringing him outside, would he? He didn't exactly have any fully-functional dollhouse toilets hanging around, but still… he didn't want to offend him. Stepping outside, he set the boy in front of the door. His backyard was fenced, so it should be discreet enough… "You alright… here?"  
Joseph looked back at him awkwardly, confused. "Uh, y-yeah?"  
"Sorry, I'll be just inside." Totem rushed back inside and was so busy being awkward he didn't notice the door swing closed and latch behind him. A few minutes later, he was starting to get worried. He'd been out there for a while. What if something happened to him? Did he get attacked by something? Did something fall on him? Nervously, he pushed the door open, but it only barely moved before it stopped — there was something on the other side, and Totem didn't want to risk pushing the door open anyway. He crouched down and carefully slid his fingers under the door until they bumped into something ice cold and… oh, no! He slid a finger on either side of the boy and slid him sideways until he could slide him around the door and pull him inside, cupping him in his hands. Again?! Immediately, he set the kid in his mouth again. How could he have been so stupid?! He'd been sitting right there on the other side of the door, waiting for him!  
When Joseph woke up, he was right back where he woke up the second time. Pitch black, musty… a wet, large muscle pressing against him violently... Immediately he let out a cry and the tongue stopped. He seized his chance. "S-Stop it! I'm awake, I'm awake!" Immediately two fingers reached in and pulled him out, setting him down on a giant open palm.  
"Are you alright?"   
Blinking against the light, he found himself looking up into a huge, worried face. "Uh…" He glanced around, shaking his head. "Uh…"  
"My name's Totem. Do you remember?"  
"Uh… yeah… I think…" He shook his head again, blinking hard. "I'm… I'm just dizzy…"  
"Do you think you're dehydrated?"  
"I don't know…" He couldn't think straight. He couldn't stop staring at the man's lips, imagining where he'd just been, where… where he could have been, where… where he actually was once… A memory suddenly flashed across his mind, one that had tortured his nightmares for years. Shuddering, he leaped back on the man's hand, pushing himself to the edge of his fingertips.   
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, you're gonna fall off!" He tipped him carefully onto the tabletop, and he started off in a run so suddenly Totem was frozen to the spot for a second. Then he shot a hand in front of the boy, who was two steps away from running right off the table. Joseph screamed as he crashed into the man's hand, stumbling back to his feet and turning around to run the other direction. Totem once again stopped him with his hand at the edge. "Hey, wait! I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear!" But the boy simply turned and kept running. "Please, buddy!" He stopped him again, and the boy turned and ran again. He didn't want to trap him and force the boy, but if he didn't keep stopping him… Then he got an idea. He let the boy run right to the edge, then scream and try to scramble back, slipping backwards off the table. Halfway to the floor, Totem caught him, and the boy screamed and started sobbing. "That's what I was trying to warn you about, buddy…" Slowly, he stood back up and held the boy up to eye level. "What happened?" The boy sobbed loudly and curled into a ball in Totem's palm. "Hey, hey… shh… you're safe…" He cradled the boy against his chest and sat down, then began rocking gently. "Shh… it's alright, you're gonna be alright…"  
Fifteen minutes later he looked down to check on the boy and found him asleep, one fist clenching a handful of his shirt's fabric. He smiled. That poor boy had gone through so much that day. He deserved to sleep. After a while, he slowly stood up and moved to the living room where he sat back down and played the movie he still had paused from earlier.


	4. Chapter Four

Another full movie later, he was having trouble keeping his eyes open and noticed his head drooping. He couldn't stay awake much longer, and he'd already drunk almost an entire pot of coffee during the first movie in a failed attempt at keeping himself from getting tired. He would have to swallow the kid again — and soon. But how would he do it? He could just swallow him now while he's asleep, but then how scared would he be when he woke up? Plus, he wasn't sure if he felt right doing this without permission again. The other option would be to wake him up now and get his permission first, and then he would know what to expect when he woke up the next morning… Yeah, that was the best option. Gently, he prodded the boy's shoulders with a single finger. "Hey… there's something I gotta talk to you about. Joseph, was it? Joseph?" He poked his shoulders again and held him in one hand up to his face. "Hey… could you wake up for a minute? Buddy?" The boy rolled over and stretched, moaning quietly. "Hey. Are you awake?"  
"Mm?" Totem gave him a moment and the boy sat up, yawning and stretching again. "Wha?" He rubbed his eyes and blinked, then looked Totem dead in the eyes, face blank.  
"Hey, do you remember what I told you before? About how to keep you alive while I sleep? And while I'm at work?" He hummed in answer, half asleep already. "You remember what I have to do?" Another half-asleep hum. "I… I'm fallin' asleep. So… I'm gonna have to do that now… Is that okay…?"  
"Mhm…" He rolled over and just like that he was out again.  
"Wait!" He sighed. "Now I know you didn't hear me…" Sighing, he tried again to wake the boy back up, but to no avail. Shaking him, poking him, talking to him, nothing worked. He was out like a rock… Great… Option one it is, then… Reluctantly, he set the boy in his mouth and went back to the kitchen for a glass of water before he tried this again. Barely able to keep his eyes open even now, he forced the boy in with a few hard gulps, then pushed his waist down, then didn't even try to get past his shoulders this time without the water. When he was finally done, his throat burned once again, so badly it hurt to breathe too hard. Rubbing his throat, he trudged to his bedroom and turned his alarm on and managed to change into pajamas before collapsing on his bed. He was asleep almost instantly.  
He woke up the next morning to his alarm. Yawning, he pulled himself to his feet and switched it off, stretching. What felt so tight? Just then the previous day all came back to him at once and he froze. The kid. Was he okay? Was he conscious? Was he still alive?! He carefully pressed a hand to his stomach and immediately something struggled against it, pushing violently against his stomach. Wow, that was a weird feeling. What was… Oh, no! That was the kid, wasn't it?! He was awake! This was everything but good! How long had he been awake?! He had to get him out, now! Without a second thought, he rushed to the bathroom and bent over the sink. He couldn't shake how wrong this felt. Shaking his head, he stuck two fingers into the back of his throat and dug around for the spot. When he found it, he twisted his fingers into it and heaved into the sink. No kid. He did it again and got the kid back into his throat. It took three more heaves before he finally got the kid back out, and when he did he was shaking. Silently, the boy tried and failed to stand in the slimy sink, eyes locked on the human. After wiping off his own face and hands, Totem grabbed a washcloth and, still shaking slightly, reached down with it to grab the boy. Joseph tried to run from it, but couldn't stand. "No, get away from me!"  
Totem flinched back. "Oh, you can still talk! Thank the gods, I thought something happened to you! Are you okay? I mean, all in one piece, nothing hurts?"  
"What?! Now you care?!"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I was awake!"  
"How… how long…?"  
He sniffled, unable to hold back tears. "Most the night?!"  
"What?! I-I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!"  
"NO! NO I'M NOT! YOU DIDN'T EVEN WARN ME!"  
"I tried. I tried to ask, but I couldn't get you to wake up! I was afraid I'd hurt you if I did anything drastic."  
"So?! That's hardly an excuse!"  
"I know, I'm so sorry! I should have kept trying… I was trying not to sleep last night at all, I just couldn't stay awake. I would have told you earlier if I'd known… But I know that doesn't excuse anything… and I'm so sorry for that… Listen, are okay here alone for a minute? I have work, I gotta go get ready, alright?" The boy nodded firmly, so he went back to his room to get dressed. When he was done, he went to the kitchen and turned the oven on to preheat, then went back to the bathroom. "Hey… It was Joseph, right?"  
The boy turned and glared at him, sniffling. "What do you want?!"  
"I was hoping I could bring you to the kitchen. Is that okay?"  
"Why?"  
"Because I turned the oven on for you, and I need to use the room?"  
"Fine," Joseph snapped.  
Smiling apologetically, Totem carefully picked up the slimy boy and carried him to the kitchen, where he opened the oven door and set him carefully on it. When he came back, he grabbed his billfold and keys from beside the door and checked the time on the stove's clock. He still had plenty of time before he had to leave. Good. He turned to the boy, sitting down beside the oven door. "I have to talk to you. About what I did."  
"What about it?"  
"I… I have to… I have to do it again…"  
"What?! No! No, please! You can't-!"  
"It's the only way to keep you alive. If I don't do this, you're… you're gonna die while I'm gone."  
"Then just let me die!"  
Totem took a deep breath. "Okay. If you would really, honestly prefer that, okay. But I will be telling your family exactly what happened to you. And I'm not going to leave out this either." He pointed to the glowing, rainbow, perfectly person-shaped mark on his tongue. "If you would really prefer to just die and get it over with… then I understand, I get it, and I'll do it. I'll leave you. But if that becomes the case… then they deserve the whole story."  
His eyes went wide and he started crying all over again. "But - But WyWy, he'd… he can't handle that! He's terrified of Thermal-Paralysis! And - And Dad, he… he'd never stop blaming himself!"  
"That's your choice…"  
He sniffled, still crying, and beat the oven door angrily. "Dang it!" He wiped at his eyes furiously. "Damn you!" He was sobbing now.  
"They deserve to know about something like that. They deserve to know if… if you choose to die."  
"I know! I know! They…" He let out a sob and wiped at his face again. "They deserve for me to stay… They deserve… they deserve me fighting…"  
"So… are you willing to try…?"  
He sighed, then let out a quiet sob. "Just… please just get it over with. Please… before I change my mind…"  
"Okay… If you're sure you're ready…" He held a hand down in front of him.  
Joseph started climbing on, crying silently. "Of course I'm not ready… So just do it, now."  
"Okay." He slowly lifted him up towards his face. "Do you want me to count down?" After a moment, Joseph nodded tearfully. "Alright… Three…" He grabbed him carefully with three fingers and lifted him towards his mouth. "Two…" He smiled at him gently, noting the look of pure terror on his tear-stained face. "One." Totem set the boy into his mouth and gave him a moment to adjust, then tipped his head back and got to work. He could feel the boy shaking violently every bit of the way. Luckily this time it hardly took any extra effort to get the boy's hips in, but he once again got stuck at the boy's shoulders. Desperately he rushed to the sink and filled the glass he'd left there, then downed it. Finally, he forced Joseph the last bit down and immediately felt him squirming madly trying to get situated. "Sorry Buddy, I didn't wanna have to get a drink. Gah, that's awkward…"  
"I-Is that what that was…?"  
Totem flinched. "Wh-What was that?!"  
"What? Wait, you can…" The voice paused. "You can hear me?!"  
"You can hear me?!" Totem was shocked. How could the kid hear him?! How could he understand what he was saying from… inside of him?! Suddenly he noticed the time. "Ah, crap, I'm gonna be late!" He switched the oven off, shut the oven door, and rushed outside to his car.  
Later… "Um, TJ?" Totem flinched, then cleared his throat and kept talking. Joseph hadn't spoken once since he'd left his house that morning. "TJ, I have a problem... I gotta go. Pretty quick maybe?"  
A few moments later, Totem finally cut off his speech with the next song and he took his headset off before finally answering. "I'm supposed to be on the air for another twenty-five minutes the second this song is over. You might have to just go anyway. It won't kill me."  
"What?!"  
"Like I said, it won't kill me. Plus I can't leave now, I'm right in the middle of the whole point I'm supposed to be making!  
"But I can't just-!"  
"Sorry, Joseph, but I gotta get back, alright?"  
"Wait! Please! TJ! TJ…? H-Hello…?"


	5. Chapter Five

As soon as Totem's shift was over, he headed straight for the bathroom, where he forced himself to throw the kid back up. Nervously, he grabbed the hand towel off the rack and wiped his face before reaching down into the sink to pick him up. The boy didn't protest in the slightest this time, let alone try to run or escape. He remained completely still and silent as Totem carefully rubbed him off. Totem gently moved Joseph to one hand and tossed the towel into the sink. "Are… are you okay?" He didn't answer. "Let's just get home…"  
Joseph was silent the whole ride back, and even once they got there and Totem started on dinner, he wouldn't make a sound. He just stared, face blank. Once the food was ready, Totem left and came back with the rest of the dish set he got the miniature mug from and popped off the tiny silverware that was glued to the plate before rinsing the plate and filling it with pasta. Slowly, he slid it in front of the boy, who was sitting on the table, staring blankly. He turned back, filled his own plate, then got them both ice water, and sat down across from the boy. After a moment, Totem spoke softly. "Just last night you were starving… Can you try to eat something?" After a moment, the boy picked up the tiny fork and poked at a noodle, then cut a piece off and mindlessly put it in his mouth. Still worried, Totem decided to leave him alone and just eat his own meal.  
By the time Totem had finished his plate, and a second, Joseph was still only halfway through his first. "Are you feeling alright…? Are you nauseous?" The boy shrugged. "Do you want me to get you some sprite or something? Would that help?" He shook his head. "Alright… Just let me know if there's anything I can do… please… Hey, do you wanna watch TV after this? You can choose anything you want."  
The boy shrugged and cut off another piece of noodle. "I've never… watched TV before…"  
Totem smiled gently, a sigh of relief escaping him. "Well, do you wanna try? It's usually really relaxing." The boy nodded nervously, then apparently decided it wasn't terrible to eat and shoveled in the rest of his plate. "You want any more to eat?" Playing with his fingers nervously, he nodded again. "Alright." He smiled as he took the tiny plate, refilled it, and set it back down for him. Noticing the mug was empty, he refilled his water too before getting out a tupperware and packing up the leftovers. Once he was done washing the dishes, he went back to the table and found Joseph twirling the tiny fork mindlessly in his hands. He'd finished his second plateful. Totem smiled — it was good to see he was at least eating. "Mind if I have that back?" The boy flinched and set the fork back on the plate, then slid it towards him, forcing a smile. Totem took the tiny dishes and washed them, then stacked them to the side and dried his hands. "You ready?"  
The boy nodded, face blank again. "Yeah."  
Gently, Totem held down his hand and let the boy crawl on, then went to the living room and turned on the TV. "What do you wanna watch?"  
"I don't know what's good to watch…"  
"Oh, right, never watched TV before… well, let's just go with animated or live-action?"  
"Uh… um, animated?"  
"Got it. You want more like anime or cartoon style?"  
"Um… what's the difference?"  
"Uh… I guess anime is a lot more detailed and cartoony has a lot simpler style?"  
"Oh, well… anime I guess?"  
"Got it, I know the perfect one!" Joseph was immediately enthralled in the story and, more importantly, the color, the picture, the TV itself. He couldn't help but smile as he watched the pictures flash across the screen. He'd never seen anything like it! The moving pictures were mesmerizing... Suddenly the whole thing stopped and changed to an entirely different picture!  
“What happened…?”  
“Oh, the episode just got over. I just gotta play the next one. So, did you like it?” He nodded silently. “Do you wanna watch more?” He nodded again.  
And so they kept watching. Just two episodes later, Joseph fell asleep on the arm of the sofa, and an episode after that, Totem checked on him to find that he was growing unsettlingly cold again. A dramatic sigh and an argument with himself later, Totem found himself gently tapping the boy’s shoulder as he called his name quietly. “Joseph… Joseph, I need you to wake up.” He knew there was a chance the boy was already unconscious from his disease, but the last few times he hadn’t passed out until he was much colder than he is now. Still, he was shaking visibly — maybe he really was unconscious already and not just asleep. Totem sighed. He didn’t want to do this again without his permission, but if the boy was unconscious already then doing exactly that would be the only way to wake him back up… “Joseph?” He tapped his shoulder a little bit harder and shook him slightly. “Joseph, can you wake up?” Sighing, he carefully picked up the tiny boy, and finally, just as he did, the boy squirmed and suddenly curled against himself. Totem set him in an open palm. “Joseph?”  
Finally, the kid gasped. “It’s f-freezing!”  
“There you are! Yeah, I thought you looked pretty cold… That’s, um… that’s why I woke you up… I thought, to warm you back up, and then I wouldn’t have to do anything twice, and I can just go to bed, then…”  
The boy flicked his teary gaze down. “No…”  
“I can wait until you pass out if that would help…?”  
After a long moment, the boy nodded and curled up tighter against himself, clutching his cloak tighter. Totem gently leaned the boy against his chest and laid his other hand over him in an attempt to keep him warmer. It didn’t work. The boy laid there and shivered violently until he started to moan and cry out in pain. Everything in Totem told him he had to react, had to do something, but he held back. There was nothing else he could do. So he sat, rocking slightly, absently uttering a quiet “shh”, until finally the miserable cries stopped, and the boy went almost still. Totem lifted the boy to his face. He was definitely unconscious. As gently as he could, he pulled first the cloak over the boy’s head, then the sweater, and brought them and Joseph to his bedroom, where he set the tiny clothing on his nightstand and went back to the kitchen for a glass of water before starting this again. Hands shaking slightly, he set him in his mouth. He couldn’t get that agonized moaning out of his head… The feeling of the miniature person rapidly growing colder and colder in his palm, and then… how suddenly the screaming and crying had stopped, and how he had just gone limp in his hand like a lifeless body… It made his whole body shudder. But he had to keep reminding himself that that was what the kid had wanted. That was what he chose. And that this was the only way to keep him alive… He’d seen first hand this evening how much just the one day effected him, and he felt miserable for doing it again to him. But he couldn’t just not show up to work because it would help the kid. He would be useless to him if he lost his job and they both starved to death. So this really was the only option he had, he just wished there was a way he could make it easier for the poor kid… After gulping the last of the kid down, he walked slowly back to his room. As he closed his bedroom door behind him, he got an idea. If he and Joseph could work out some sort of signal… maybe they could figure out a system so Joseph would have a way of telling him when he was getting too uncomfortable. Maybe a certain pattern Joseph could use, or a tune he could hum? What could they use, though? And what if he’s not in a position he could get him out anyway? What if he’s in the middle of a speech at work and he can’t leave? But, then again, what if he wasn’t? What if he’d just started a song and had time to get him out and give him a moment before he had to go back? Or what if he was in bed and had just woken up in the middle of the night and Joseph gave him the signal then? This system idea kept him up for hours, and just as he was finally starting to fall asleep, he heard a loud gasp-then-scream sort of sound echo in his head, followed immediately by a quick, repetitive chant. “No, no, no, breathe, no, no, no, breathe, no, no, no, no, no! Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Breathe. Okay. You’re okay. You’re okay. Just breathe. Just breathe. You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re- oooookay, no you’re not, no you’re not, no you’re not, no! No, no, no, no, no!” The voice let out a terrified cry — you could hear the sobs catching in his throat. “No!” Then the voice wasn’t holding anything back and broke into full out sobbing. Totem had slowly sat himself up and felt wide-awake, listening to the boy’s every sound intently, lost as to what he should say to him if anything at all. So he listened as the boy continued to sob inside of him, muttering to himself. “Y-You’re gonna… you’re gonna be okay… you’re gonna… make it… y-you’re gonna… you’re gonna be okay. F-For them. You’re gonna be okay. For them. For Mom, and Dad. A-And you’re gonna be okay… for WyWy. Because…” His voice trailed off into sobs again, then almost silent frustrated screaming mixed in, and Totem felt the oddest sensation… inside him… What was Joseph doing? The sobbing turned into screaming, at first just frustrated, and then completely furious as the screaming turned piercing, and Totem finally realized what the boy was actually doing, because he was getting violent with it. Joseph was kicking him. He was punching and kicking the inside of his stomach with all his might, and… he was strong. It was starting to actually hurt… quite a bit. Try as he might to stay silent, Totem let out a grunt of pain and everything stopped. Joseph froze and stopped screaming, then let out one, short, terrified scream. “Y-Y-You - Y-Y-You’re-” He whimpered loudly. “Y-You’re aw-wake!”  
Totem hesitated before answering. “Yeah. I never fell asleep…”  
Joseph gasped. “I-I didn’t mean it! I-I’m s-so sorry! I’m sorry!” He was right back to sobbing. “P-Please! Please, I’m sorry!”  
“Hey, hey, please what? I’m not mad or anything…”  
He was shocked silent for nearly thirty seconds. “What?”  
“I’m not mad at you. Why would I be?”  
“Because I…” He let out another sob. “Because I…”  
“Because you got upset and had a breakdown? Because you’re sick and scared, and you probably really miss home? Of course, I’m not mad. If that’s how you can get past it, then do that. If that helps you get through all of this, then by all means. What’s the worst that can happen? You bruise me? And stay alive because of it? A bit of bruising is hardly a price to pay for your life.”  
The boy sobbed again, but this time it wasn’t caused by terror. “I-I don’... understand! I don’t get it!”  
“What don’t you get?”  
“I… I don’t get why… why my life matters so much to you…”  
“Because... it’s a life! How could it not matter? Why do you think I wouldn’t care?”  
“I don’ know… cause I’m a klein?”  
“Oh… That? Pfft! Uh, my Mom is a klein’s rights activist, so I was kinda raised in the whole thing too. I mean, I don’t go to her meetings or revolts or whatever, but ya know… I’m… fairly with it all. The klein’s rights stuff.”  
“There are… klein’s rights… activists?”  
“Yeah, you didn’t know that? There’re tons of klein’s rights groups! I know our town just has the one, but it’s a fairly big one plus the next town over has two.”  
“Really…?”  
“Yeah! You really didn’t know that was a thing?”  
“I… I didn’t know…” He trailed off.  
“What? You can tell me, I won’t judge or anything.”  
“Do… do you promise you won’t be mad…?”  
“Yeah, of course.”  
“Um, well… I didn’t know… that humans at all thought of us as… well, as an intelligent species… I always thought… we were viewed more like… insects?”  
“That’s awful.”  
“I-I’m sorry…”  
“No, no, I mean that you had to grow up thinking people saw you like some kinda pest! That’s… that’s terrible! I’m sorry you grew up with that mindset… but not all of us are so bad… I mean, I just mean, there are some good humans out there who’ll go out of their way to protect you kleins.”  
“Like you.”  
“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Joseph sniffled and let out a sort of snort-laugh sound. “Wh-What?”  
“N-Nothing, you just… you sounded so indifferent and unsure…”  
“I mean, I’m really not going out of my way that much. I mean, I guess I am… doing stuff a bit different, but that’s just a schedule, so… I don’t know, it really doesn’t feel like a big deal…”  
Joseph let out a giggle. “Uh, sorry. I-I didn’t mean to laugh. I’m sorry.”  
“No, that’s fine. So… you don’t hate me? All the way at least? I mean, if you do, that’s okay, I just…”  
“Uh, n-n-no!”  
“Hey, it’s alright. I’m okay with whatever your opinion is, no matter how bleak. Okay? It’s okay if you hate me, really… So do you?”  
“Um… I-I don’t know… maybe? I… I don’t think so… I don’t know…”  
“Well, that’s fine. It’s okay to not know. And if you decide you do hate me, that’s okay too.”  
“So… you don’t… care either way?”  
“Well, I mean… obviously I don’t want you to hate me, but I understand if you do. I guess I’m saying I would prefer you didn’t hate me, but if you decide you do, then I still wanna help you, and I’m not gonna be petty about it.”  
“Oh…” Totem was about to say something when a yawn interrupted him and he felt Joseph pushing against him. “Wh-What was that?!”  
“Oh, sorry, I was yawning. I didn’t know it’d startle you. Sorry.”  
“Oh. O-Okay… Okay.”  
“Are you alright?”  
“Do you want me to answer honestly or… are you just asking to be nice?”  
“No, I want to hear it. Honestly. Right now, are you okay?”  
“No…? Not really…?” He paused for a moment. “Is… that okay?”  
“Yeah, of course, it is! I’d almost be surprised if you were okay… Do you think you’ll be able to sleep?”  
“Um… I don’t know.”  
“Are you gonna be okay if I go back to sleep?”  
“Yeah. I mean…”  
“Do you want me to stay up with you?”  
“No. I don’t want you to fall asleep at your job…”  
“Oh. Thank you. But I still can stay up a little longer if you’d like. I could sing something if you think that’d help you fall asleep.”  
“No, that’s… not necessary…”  
“Alright. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do.”  
“O-Okay…”  
“Alright. I’m gonna try and get some sleep, alright?”  
“Uh, y-yeah.”  
“Alright. And, Joseph?”  
“Um, yes?”  
“If it gets too harsh, just… please try to wake me up, okay?”  
“Okay…”


	6. Chapter Six

The next morning he woke to the sound of his alarm. Yawning, he got up and turned it off, then trudged groggily to the bathroom. “Joseph, are you up?”  
“Oh! Yeah! I didn’t know you were up yet. You, um, move a lot in your sleep.”  
“Sorry. Uh, I just thought I’d warn you, I’m, um… getting you out for a bit.”  
“Oh, uh, a-alright. O-Okay.”  
“Are you alright?”  
“Um… I don’t know.”  
“Okay, that’s alright. I don’t know is better than just no. Anyway, I’m gonna get you out, alright? You ready?”  
After a moment, Joseph answered. “Yeah.”  
“Alright…” And so he stuck two fingers into the back of his mouth and started feeling around. It took more than fifteen minutes, but finally, the boy was far up enough that Totem could dig into his throat and yank him out, making himself gag violently in the process. Shaking, Totem went to the kitchen and pulled off a few paper towels to first wipe his face, then carefully rub-down the boy. “Are you okay? Nothing hurts or anything?” Totem turned on the oven as he spoke and opened the oven door.  
“No, I’m… Nothing’s… I mean… I’m not hurt.”  
Totem smiled down at him. “Good. Alright, I’ll be back. Oh, first-” He opened a cupboard, dug through it for a moment, and returned with a small piece of a granola bar. “I thought you might be hungry?” Joseph smiled nervously and took it, and he smiled back and left.  
When he came back a few minutes later dressed and ready, Joseph was long since finished eating. Holding back a chuckle, he got another piece out and handed it to him. Joseph smiled back at him and took it. After a few bites, though, he paused. "You don't eat breakfast?"  
"Usually I do, I'm just not today. I, um… I don't want to make it any… messier for you than it already is."  
"Oh… Thanks."  
Totem broke into a soft smile. "Yeah. Whatever helps." Forcing a smile, Joseph turned his attention back to his meal. “Hey, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”  
“Oh?” he muttered shakily.  
“Oh, no, no! It’s nothing bad! I was thinking about how I keep having to do... that, and I was thinking… what if we came up with some sort of emergency system?”  
“Emergency…?”  
“Yeah, I mean if you get too upset or if you start having a panic attack or something, so I know you need to get out. And I know you could just tell me, but I thought it might be easier if you didn’t have to actually say something. Easier to work up to, I mean, since we’re both still adjusting to each other. What do you think?” After a moment, Joseph nodded. “Yeah? You like it? You think it could work?” He nodded again. “Well let’s do it then. The biggest problem is finding something we’re both gonna remember… Do you know any morse code?”  
“Morse… code…?”  
“Yeah, nevermind, sorry. Uh… how about a song? You could hum a certain song that we’d both remember. But what songs do we both know…? Have you listened to any human music?”  
Joseph shook his head. “We share a few lullabies with humans, but…”  
“Oh! Oh, I got it! What about the theme song in that show we were watching last night?”  
“The theme song…?”  
“The music that played at the beginning and right at the end. That’s called the theme song.”  
“Oh… Well, that could work…”  
“You like that?” Slowly, he nodded. “Well let’s use that then. So if at any point you feel like you can’t handle it, hum that song, alright? And if I’m at work and I can’t get you out then, I’ll let you out a minute the next time a song comes around, okay? So even if I can’t answer right away I will when I can. I promise. Do you think you’re ready?”  
“Ready for what?”  
Totem blushed bright red. “Uh, I gotta leave for work in just a few minutes, so…”  
“Oh.” His shoulders dropped and he hung his head. “Okay, get this over with…”  
“Do you want me to count down again?” His shoulders shook just slightly as he nodded. “Alright…” Carefully he reached down and picked up the boy. “Three… Two… One.”


	7. Chapter Seven

Once again, Joseph didn’t make a sound on the way there, or even once he started. He didn’t make a single sound until over halfway through Totem’s shift when he was offered a break and, like the day before, denied it. “Totem.” He stopped and turned back around. “Have you been feeling alright?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”  
“You never skip your break, and this is the second day in a row you’ve refused to eat anything. You haven’t taken anything to drink either. That’s just not normal for you.”  
“I hadn’t really noticed.” He laughed nervously.  
“Well, just remember you still have paid sick leave if you need to use it.”  
“Thank you, but I’m feeling fine, really, I just haven’t been that hungry lately. Besides, I could use the extra.”  
“Alright, just let me know if you need anything.”  
“Thank you.” Totem watched as his boss turned away and left, and he began setting up the equipment for the next song break.  
“Who were you talking to?”  
“Oh, Joseph, hi! Uh, that was my boss. He was trying to convince me to take a break and eat something.”  
“And… you said no?”  
“Yeah, you’re safe.”  
After a long moment, Joseph spoke again. “Okay.”  
“Are you alright?” Joseph wouldn’t answer. “Just remember that song, okay? If you need to get out, hum that and I’ll get you out as soon as I can, okay?” Again, Joseph didn’t answer, so Totem turned his attention back to the equipment.  
Once his shift ended, he went straight to the bathroom and tried to throw Joseph back up. It didn’t work, which was fine. He couldn’t always make himself throw up right away. So he tried again, and again, and again. He pressed harder and harder on the spot in the back of his mouth until it hurt so bad he thought he’d bruised himself, but still, it was barely making him gag like it normally did. “Okay. Joseph, I’m gonna have to go home before I can get you out, okay?”  
“Wh-Why? Is s-something wrong? Wh-Why can’t I get - get out now?”  
“I just have to use a little different method this time. I’ll get you out, I promise. I just have to get home first so I can use something different.”  
Joseph gasped. “Oh… god… no, no, no, no! No! You can’t do it, can you?! Oh, no, you can’t do it!”  
“Hey, it’s okay, I can get you out, I just need to use a different method. I know I can get you out. I would never have gotten you in there if I wasn’t a hundred percent sure I could get you back out. Okay? You’re getting out, it’s just gonna take a few extra minutes. Can you wait just a few extra minutes for me?”  
But it was too late. Joseph had broken down into sobs and had begun praying rapidly. “Protect me oh God, hold me in your mighty hands God, protect me Lord, please God, keep me safe, please. I gave my life to you God, please just let me live, just don’t let me die here God, please protect-”  
Totem was trying to block it out. So Joseph was religious. That was nice to know, he was too. That might explain part of why he seemed so ready to die rather than… well, this, if he knows where he’s going when he does… He didn’t stop praying once, not even for a split-second until they got home and Totem went to the kitchen and finally spoke to him again as he dug into the cupboard under the sink. “Joseph?” The tiny boy’s whole body spasmed and he uttered a short scream. “Sorry. I’ve gotta drink this mixture I’m making up to get you out, okay? I just wanted to warn you.” He filled a cup halfway with warm water and mixed almost the rest of the cup full of baking soda. “Hey, I’m drinking this mix stuff now, alright?” He waited a moment for a response, and when he got none, he picked up the cup and downed it, gagging at the taste. A moment later, he heard a scream and felt Joseph squirming. “You alright?” No answer. “It’ll take a minute to work…” He went to the hallway and started pacing circles in front of the bathroom doorway — getting dizzy might speed it up. And it did. Less than three minutes later, he burst into the bathroom and bent over the sink just in time. Joseph came up with the very first heave, and he quickly pulled him out of the sink in time to throw up twice more before finally stopping. Shaking violently, he carefully set the boy on the bathroom counter and didn’t notice the boy running until it was too late. Crack! He shot over the edge of the counter. Joseph had hit the edge of the trash can and was caught hanging upside down on a strip of loose weaving, which had snapped in half and was barely holding on with his weight. If he fell even from just the top of that trash can he could hurt himself, break something even! Permission aside, he lunged out and grabbed the boy just as he fell, managing to just catch him by the legs. “Are you okay?!” He set him on the counter and was careful to watch him now to make sure he didn’t run again. “Are you okay?!” he repeated desperately. The boy was frozen still, chest heaving rapidly, eyes wide and mouth hung open. His bottom jaw was shaking. But nothing looked broken. Then again, with the rainbow of the boy’s skin, it was hard to tell if something was just purple or actually bruised. “Does anything hurt?” He didn’t move a muscle. After a silent moment, Totem grabbed a paper towel off a shelf to clean himself off, then pulled off another one and folded it in half before setting it beside the boy. Then he sat down and waited, and waited. Finally, Joseph moved. He turned, grabbed the paper towel, and clutched it against himself, pushing his face into it like a blanket. Finally, he broke into sobs again and curled his knees to his chest. Totem shot to his feet. “Hey! Are you alright?” Again, no answer. “Uh, okay, um… Um, oh! Uh, can you hear me?” No answer. “Uh, okay… well, if you can, can you try holding your breath? Please? It’s something my Mom always had me do to help me calm down… It works pretty well…” At first, he thought the boy hadn’t heard him at all, but then he noticed Joseph wasn’t shaking — he’d stopped crying, at least audibly. He watched as thirty seconds turned to a minute, a minute turned to two, then two turned to three. “Are you still holding your breath?!” Finally, he saw Joseph sigh. “I knew you guys could hold your breath longer than us, but… wow! That was amazing! Uh, anyway, do you… feel any better? At all? Even just maybe breathe a little easier?” Slowly, Joseph nodded, still laying down, snuggling with the paper towel. “Good… Was… was it the baking soda that… that scared you like this?” He knew the answer before Joseph shook his head. “Okay… Um… I noticed you were… praying before…” He tensed up. “Oh, no, no! I’m Christian too! I just… It’s nice to know we share beliefs.” The boy relaxed.


	8. Chapter Eight

They were both silent for a while and Joseph slowly sat up, not letting go of the towel for a second. “Do… you really think… God wants what’s best for us?”  
“Yeah, of course, he does.”  
“Then… why?” His voice cracked on the last word and he started crying again, silently.  
“I think… sometimes God lets bad stuff happen to us to test our faith. To make our faith stronger for whatever plans he has in the future.”  
“I hate that that kinda makes sense…”  
“Yeah… Hey, are you hungry?”  
Joseph’s shoulders slumped. “I know you are…”  
“Wh-What?”  
“You’re hungry. You’ve… been hungry all day…”  
“Oh? How’d you know?”  
Joseph hesitated. “It was… loud…”  
“Oh, really? I know I felt hungry, but I didn’t hear anything… Sorry…” He shrugged in answer. “Well, do you wanna try to eat something?” He shrugged again. “Can you try? Please?” Finally, he nodded. "Thank you. Oh! I almost forgot, your sweater! It's still in my room from this morning. Just a sec.” He went and got the sweater and cloak, then returned and set them down beside the boy. He stayed awkwardly silent for a few moments. “Do you wanna stay here while I make dinner? Have some time alone?” He nodded. “Alright. I’m gonna leave the door open so I can check up on you, is that alright?” The boy shrugged. “Okay. I won’t bother you, I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Then he left. They had leftovers from the night before still, but he felt like he should make something different. The least he could do for the kid is at least change up the menu some. So after some consideration, he decided to do something extra for the kid and go with a full-on steak and potatoes dinner with ice cream and cookies for dessert. He himself never usually ate that extravagant unless he had cause for celebration. In fact, it was lucky he even had dessert in the house at all — usually he tries to limit how much sugar he keeps on hand. The second time he checked on Joseph he apologized for how long it was taking, but Joseph wouldn’t respond. He had put the sweater and cloak back on, though. Once dinner was finally done, he went back to the bathroom again to check on Joseph. “Hey.” The boy looked up at him immediately, and a smile faded. He’d been smiling! “Dinner’s ready. Can you come try to eat? I made a lot. And I’ve got dessert.” He slowly held a hand down to the boy, who stood frozen still, staring at it. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” Joseph played with his fingers some, then looked over at the doorway and took a deep breath. He could smell the food. Finally, he gave in to his own hunger and slowly forced himself to climb onto the hand. “Thank you. For coming to eat.” He walked carefully to the dining room and let the boy climb onto the table. “I meant it, really. Thank you, for coming.” Joseph turned away and hung his head, so he sighed and turned back to the kitchen. He came back a moment later with Joseph’s plate and slowly slid it to him, then turned back and got his mug.  
As soon as Joseph looked into it, though, he shook his head and pushed it away. “Is that… soda?”  
“Um, yeah? Do you not drink soda?”  
He shook his head. “We can’t.”  
“You mean kleins in general or just you?”  
“Just kleins. That bubbly stuff in it makes us sick.”  
“Oh. I’m sorry, I… had no idea. I’m sorry, I don’t know how I didn’t already know that. Mom tells me everything she finds out… Oh, sorry.” He grabbed the tiny mug and dumped it out, then rinsed it out and filled it with water. “Sorry again,” he mumbled, red-faced as he slid the mug over to him. He quickly turned away to fill his own plate. How had he not known about this? He should have known about this. Did his mother even know? She had to. There's no way she wouldn't know this, right? He sighed. His mother probably long since knew about this and had probably told him and he just hadn’t listened. So it was probably his own fault he didn’t know already. How many times had she tried to tell him and he just didn’t care enough to listen to her? What else had she told him that he hadn’t cared enough to pay attention to? How much did he not know about kleins? How much had he just not listened to? He glanced over at the boy, who was poking unsurely at his plate. He sighed. He’d done the same thing the night before. He was clearly starving, so why wasn’t he eating anything? Was it his sickness? Was it making him nauseous? Or was it… was he… depressed? His eyebrows furrowed at the thought and he felt himself sigh. Now that he thought it over, that would explain… everything. Particularly that little episode he’d had the first day when he’d woken up completely calm for a moment. He’d said he was just dizzy, but he wondered if maybe… if he was having an episode and just didn’t know what it was? Totem blinked back into reality and realized he’d stopped halfway through scooping his plate and hurriedly finished, then went back to the table with his plateful. He held back another sigh and looked down into his cup. What did he mean when he said it makes them sick? How sick? And he said it was the carbonation? Carbonated drinks made them sick? “How… Is it… lethal?”  
Joseph looked up at him, confused, then he seemed to understand the question and shook his head. “Not usually… Our stomachs can’t handle the… bubbly thing that’s in it.”  
“Oh. Well, that’s good, that’s it’s not lethal at least… So… does it just make you nauseous, or…?”  
He shook his head again. “It… ruins your whole system…”  
“I’m… so sorry. I really didn’t know. If you hadn’t checked that before you drank anything… I’m really sorry I didn’t ask you first…” The boy looked away and poked at his food some more. “Do you not like it? I can make you something else if you want.” He shook his head. “Are you sure?”  
He nodded. “The food’s fine...”  
Totem nodded, failing to hide his sigh. How he was acting right now… This was a depressive episode, wasn’t it? He wished he knew what to do in a situation like this. He’d never dealt with anyone who had depression before… Maybe later he should research common symptoms… The rest of the meal passed by in total silence. It was miserable. Joseph was just acting… blank. Like he just didn’t care. It would have been easier if he were terrified, if he screamed and ran away from Totem and outright refused to eat. That would have been easier. At least Totem understood that. But this? This was miserable. Even when he brought out dessert and slid Joseph a tiny bit of ice cream and part of a cookie he barely reacted. He just picked up his spoon and poked at it a bit before taking a bite.


	9. Chapter Nine

Once they were finished and Totem had finished clearing the dishes and putting away leftovers, he turned back to the tiny boy, forcing a smile. “What do you wanna do?” The boy shrugged, staring at the tabletop blankly. “We could watch some TV?” Another mindless shrug. “Can we do that? Can you come watch TV with me?” After a few silent moments, Totem slowly held down an open palm, and Joseph stared at it expressionless. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to…” He waited, but Joseph didn’t react, so he pulled his hand back. “Okay, that’s alright. You don’t have to. Do you wanna do something else? Play a game? I could get you some paper and a pencil and you could write that letter.” Immediately Joseph tensed and broke into a loud sob. “Hey, are you alright? You don’t have to, you can write it whenever you want! We can wait! Let’s just save that for later, okay?” Joseph shook his head, hiding his face behind his hands. “You don’t wanna wait? You wanna write it? Now?” After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. “Alright. Let me get you some paper.” The paper was easy. What wasn’t quite as easy was the pencil. A normal pencil was longer than the boy was tall, so that was out of the question, but he was afraid mechanical pencil lead would fall apart if the boy got too emotional and gripped it too hard. He hadn’t used regular wood pencils for years. Hopefully, he still had one somewhere. Finally, he found one in a drawer in the bathroom, of all places, and went back to the kitchen. He set down the paper and a pair of scissors on the table and stepped to the kitchen to grab a knife. “Sorry, it took me so long. Gimme just one more minute and I’ll have it all ready for you, alright?” He took the knife and shaved off the end of the wood, leaving a jut of led, which he cautiously worked to the smallest, sharpest point he could before returning to the table and snapping off the led. He set it down near the boy. “Do you want the paper any smaller? I tried to cut it down, but I wasn’t sure how big you wanted it.”  
After a while, Joseph looked up at him. “Maybe in half twice?”  
“Sure.” He grabbed the paper and scissors and cut it smaller over the trash can. “How about that?” Joseph stared at it silently. “Smaller?” Joseph nodded. He cut the paper in half twice more and displayed it on two fingertips. “What about that?” Joseph stared at it, eyes wide, and slowly got to his feet. He walked closer one step at a time until finally he was within arms-length of Totem’s fingertips. Gingerly, he grabbed the paper and stared at it. “Is it too big still?”  
Joseph shook his head. “No, it’s… it’s perfect… I’ve… never had any paper my size before… and the right shape…”  
“Really? Never?”  
He shook his head. “I’ve never seen paper my height before… Well, not except for pieces.”  
“Weird… Do you think your family would be willing to take something that looks so… I don’t know, human?”  
“Oh…” His face dropped. “Good point… Oh, I got an idea!” Totem watched as he tore the edge off of the piece of paper, then crumpled it into a ball and unfolded it. But he still didn’t look satisfied. He stepped over to the edge of the table, then reached a hand under the lip of the table and brought it back out completely covered in dust and grime. Totem wanted to ask Joseph what he was doing, but he quickly understood. Joseph rubbed the grime between both hands, then scrubbed it into the paper and crumpled it, and unfolded it again. Finally, he held it out to admire his handiwork. “There. Now it’s just a scrap from some corner.”  
“Wow.” He said it before he could stop himself. That was a blunt reaction… But it really was impressive. It looked just like some forgotten scrap. Still, that was a stupid way of expressing himself. “Sorry. I just meant… Well, it’s pretty cool.”  
His face dropped back to that blank, emotionless expression again. “Messing up a piece of paper?”  
“Well-” He made a half-laugh-half-groan sound. “That… you knew… how I guess? Oh, this is not coming out right. Uh… I guess I’m trying to say how you did it was cool. That you didn’t have to think about it.”  
“Oh…”  
“Sorry… Did you want some music or something before I go?”  
“Music…?”  
“I just - music helps me concentrate, I didn’t know if…”  
“I’m okay.”  
“Alright, sorry. I’m gonna be just in the other room, okay? Is it okay if I come to check on you in a bit?” Joseph nodded silently. “Thanks.” Holding back a groan, Totem stepped into the living room and sat down. What was wrong with him? What was all that? He just… fell apart. For no reason. He wasn’t feeling particularly nervous or anything… so why had he gotten so awkward?! He took a deep breath and found himself shaking. Was he nervous? He didn’t feel nervous… not really. He felt… something… something similar to being nervous, but it was different… why was he shaking? He took a deep breath. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but he didn’t like it at all. He pulled out his phone and started playing a game in an attempt at shaking it, but it wasn’t working. Still, he continued to play mindlessly as he thought. Was the kid really depressed? And even if he was, what could he even do to help him? Was there anything he could do at all? With a sigh he realized he was paying no attention to his game and decided to do some research. Based on what he was reading Joseph was definitely suffering from at least a mild case of depression. And worse yet, there was also apparently nothing he could do at all except for being there for him, and based on how their relationship was going so far even that seemed impossible. He checked the time in the top corner of his phone and shot to his feet. It had been more than thirty minutes since he’d left him! He raced around the corner into the dining room and his feet froze to the floor. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Joseph was curled in a tight ball on the very edge of the table closest to the living room. The closest edge to where he had been. One tiny hand was hanging off the edge of the table. Everything else was tucked into itself violently. He had been reaching out with that hand? Had he been that desperate? Was he calling for him too, and he just didn’t hear it? His face paled at the thought, and he picked up the tiny boy and set him in his mouth immediately. He started pacing the length of the wall along the kitchen and dining room. He couldn’t help it. How long had he been unconscious? His body was ice cold again and completely limp! What if he was too late this time? What if he never woke up? What if he was… what if he was already gone? And even if he was still alive, how long would it take for him to wake up? This was all his fault! If this boy didn’t make it, if he never woke up, that would be his fault.  
I’m so sorry! I’ll never leave you alone that long again, I swear!


End file.
